We will be extending our bait shop hours starting this Saturday, 1/11! New hours will be Saturday and Sunday from 7 am to 6 pm, and Monday through Friday from 8 am to 6 pm.
We spent a full day on the ice today doing a thorough measuring of ice thicknesses where most anglers are fishing. What we found was promising! It is also best described as inconsistently good. We drilled and measured several hundred holes in many locations, which includes in front of the marina, Waconia Bay, “Under the Wires”, Center Reef, Pillsbury Reef and Wagener’s Bay. What we found is that there is no rhyme or reason why the ice might be 9 inches in one location and 20 feet away it could be 14 inches. We drilled in snow drifts that sometimes had more ice under them than areas that were clear of any snow nearby, which is totally opposite of what we normally see. Having said that, we are happy with what we measured.
To best describe the variance of ice thicknesses, we are choosing to give you rough percentages of what you can expect to find in the areas we checked. 5% or less of the ice we found between 8.5 to 9.75 inches. 25% of the ice was between 9.75 to 11.5 inches. 30% was measured 11.5 to 13 inches. 25% was between 13 to 14.5 inches. 15% checked was over 14.5 inches (but many times included several inches of frozen slush as part of that larger number). Keep in mind, we did mark a couple of locations to avoid, most notably a very small area north of Waconia Bay that has 3 pieces of lath board with flagging tape marking the only spot we’ve seen with layered ice (water between 2 layers of 5 inches) that hopefully will solidify together with more cold coming. There is also an area of 8.5 inches “Under the Wires” that is very very small. We also marked a small part of Center Reef that has 2 lath markers with as little as 9 inches. Other 9 inch areas we found we left unmarked as they were so small and had more thickness directly surrounding them.
What does this all mean? Well, it means we are opening our access this Friday, 1/10/19 to those of you who wish to drive your cars and small trucks (at your own risk) on to the ice. If you are looking to bring a wheel house out, we still think it’s a good idea to use an ATV or Side by Side if you have one available, but we will allow smaller wheel houses to be pulled behind a car or small truck. We are NOT allowing 3/4-Ton or larger trucks as of yet. Keep in mind, if you are driving on the ice, please drive slow! If you’d like to park on the ice in front of the marina, please spread out. Don’t fill in the spaces like you are parking in the Target parking lot. Don’t forget, we are a pay access. We ask $2 to drive on Monday thru Thursday and $4 on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Winter Season Passes are $30.
We have 3 of our 5 rental fish houses on the ice in Waconia Bay within close walking distance of the marina! If you want the ease of ice fishing without worrying about finding the spot and drilling the holes, we’ve got you covered! The heat is on in the house and ready for you to fish! We currently have both 6-holers (#5 and #6) along with one of our 4-holers (#8) in 11 to 12 feet of water in a good panfish and northern pike location. Call (952) 442-2096 to reserve!
We will see you on the ice!
